Bank Customers To Share Pain Of Cyprus Bail-Out
The Eurozone and the IMF have agreed a deal to bail out Cyprus to the tune of €10 billion, as is reported here on the BBC.
What is different though in this bail-out, is that bank depositors will also have to take some of the pain. The comment from the BBC correspondent; Andrew Walker is as follows.
It has been a long and difficult negotiation, partly because of the reluctance of other Eurozone countries to use taxpayers’ money to help foreign customers of Cypriot banks. Many of them are wealthy Russians.
There are concerns around Europe about whether all that money was legitimately acquired and also about how effective Cyprus is in dealing with money laundering.
The deal involves a levy on bank deposits intended to ensure those investors contribute to the bailout. But it will apply to all deposits – at a higher rate on amounts above 100,000 euros.
I’m personally not that sorry, that laundered money will be effectively taxed, but it does strike me, that this crisis could get a lot bigger, if the Russians get annoyed.
607 Bridges And Still Counting
The Times also tells the tale of Toni Rüttiman, a man who has helped to build 607 bridges. There are more details here on Wikipedia. He is summed up by this sentence.
Toni Rüttimann has no home; he carries all he needs in two small bags. One is for his personal effects, the second one for his suspension bridge building materials. Rüttimann works with destitute people to build or re-build their own bridges, often after a hurricane, an earthquake, or a war event.
He works for free!
He is definitely one of the world’s unsung heroes.
No Budget; Employ Students
In the depths of The Times is a story about a walk in the City of London, with the planning officer; Peter Rees. This phrase caught my eye.
As we walk through the ornate arcades of Leadenhall Market he points to the rich roof decoration and says, “the Corporation had no budget for restoration, so I employed art students to do the job.”
Good lateral thinking. They did a very good job too!
The article also says that some of the best views of London are from the roof of One New Change, the new shopping centre in the City by St. Paul’s. I must check! There’s more about it here.
Here Come The Cavalry!
I was surprised to see this phalanx of Police motor-cyclists today at the Angel.
Here Come The Cavalry!
I assume they were trainees or on some sort of exercise, as there didn’t seem to be much crime about.
If You Want Good Publicity, Black Death Is A Surprisingly Good Idea
I have a Google News alert for Crossrail and today, it flagged up nine stories on the web.
Eight of these were about the story I reported on yesterday, about the finding of a cemetery for plague victims.
Usually, companies try to disassociate themselves from death and other dark stories.
If you’re wondering the other story, was about Crossrail driving up residential property prices. But then rising property prices are a good news story in many peoples’ minds.
Marks And Spencer Go Back To The Future
This story from the BBC web site is another interesting marketing and publicity idea.
More than a century after one of the UK’s most recognisable high street brands started trading the firm is going back to its roots with a stall in a city centre market.
It has returned to the very market building, in Leeds, where it was founded, in a move councillors hope will bring additional shoppers in.
The opening comes 129 years after Michael Marks, a Russian-born Polish refugee opened a stall at Kirkgate Market in 1884 – the small beginning from which Marks and Spencer evolved.
It’s an idea that might work or it could be a terrible failure.
But why shouldn’t a big company, try something a little out of the ordinary?
Although, I don’t think the traders in the markets round here, would like to see Marks and Spencer open a nearby stall. Although for many years, there has been a small Marks and Spencer at the side of Chapel Market at The Angel. Perhaps they should move their coffee bar, which is just inside, into the street outside?
Collumpton Thinks About Banning The Apostrophe
Mid-Devon Council has provoked outrage, by discussing the removal of the apostrophe from street signs. Appropriately, this is the subject of a piece in the Guardian.
A picture in the piece is from my neck of the woods; Hackney and shows a sign labelled “Childrens’ Garden”
I think that they should all be correctly shown.
Note that even Transport for London, has an apostrophe anomaly in Barons Court not being Baron’s Court. It’s all explained here.
How Many Roman Catholic Priests Are Married?
Most people, myself included, would have answered none to this question. But now after this case reported here and in several papers like The Times, the question is how many other priests are leading a hypocritical double life?
I think the Catholic church should take serious action to stop priests from doing things their vows of chastity explicitly forbid them. I’m told that there are fiendish devices available on the Internet, which have their origins in those, that mediaeval knights locked around their ladies interesting bits.
Alternatively, they could change the vows and make them more in line with the real world.
The Restaurant Would Have Loved This Revue
a couple of weeks ago, I was so impressed by what Giles Coren said about a restaurant, that I just had to visit The Quality Chop House and duly did, as I reported here.
I doubt, I’ll be going to Balthazar, as Giles has given the place, one of the worst reviews I’ve ever seen, with the same exquisite use of a hatchet, that would have done justice to the late Michael Winner. You can read it here in The Times. It is one of those reads, that are worth a visit to the dentist in a couple of months time.
Giles scores the restaurant 0 for food out of 10, but gives it 9 for the room and service. His last paragraph is a classic.
I had hoped that London was too sophisticated now to fall for this sort of thing, but the critics seem to be going wild for it. And I am in no way saying that you should not go. Just go prepared. For the best restaurant in London, and the worst food in Europe.
I shall see what Giles recommends in the next few weeks.
Holy Toast
With the election of a new Pope, my slice of toast this morning was appropriate.
Holy Toast
Unfortunately, it is gluten-free toast, and as coeliacs these days, can’t be Catholic priests, I doubt the Pope would appreciate the subtle flavours and merits of this toast.
Sad really, as one of the most influemtial Catholic priests of recent years; Derek Warlock, was a coeliac.
The Anonymous Widower 